JOEY GALLO, CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ, HANSER ALBERTO, AND PHIL KLEIN WIN RANGERS 2014 MINOR LEAGUE AWARDS  —  Aaron Levin and Roger Coryell to also be honored at 2015 Dr Pepper Awards Dinner on Friday, January 23  —  Arlington, Texas-The Texas Rangers today announced the winners of the team's 2014 Minor League Awards:

US govt. clears Cuban flamethrower Lopez to sign  —  Cuban right-handed pitching prospect Yoan Lopez has been cleared by the United States government, and he is expected to sign with a Major League team before the start of Spring Training, according to industry an source.

Rooftop owners' suit accuses Cubs of bad faith in Wrigley redevelopment  —  The Chicago Cubs played hardball with Wrigley Field rooftop owners — blocking the historic ballpark views of owners who refused to sell up, while clearing the sightlines from rooftops the Cubs were able to purchase, a lawsuit filed Thursday alleges.

Rockies reveal 2015 Minor League staff assignments  —  DENVER — Longtime Rockies staff member Duane Espy will fill the newly created post of hitting coordinator, the Rockies announced Thursday as they revealed their Minor League staff assignments for 2015.  —  Espy, entering his 13th season …

Sources say Hinkie reneged on agreement to release Kirilenko  —  When the 76ers play the Nets on Friday night in Brooklyn, there won't be any on-court reunions with former teammates for the three players involved in a Dec. 11 trade between the teams.  That's because none of them will be there.

Why we picked the Cubs to win the 2015 World Series  —  The Cubs finished last in the National League Central last year, losing 89 games.  They have not had a .500 record since 2009, have not been to the playoffs since 2008, have not won a playoff series (or even game) since 2003 …

HOW ZOBRIST FITS WITH THE NATIONALS  —  One rival executive calls Ben Zobrist “the Andrew Miller of position players,” explaining that the Rays' super-utility man makes sense for all 29 other clubs.  —  The fit for the Nationals, in particular, is almost perfect - and the team's need …

Nationals hire Rick Ankiel as “life skills coordinator”  —  Rick Ankiel's weird career has taken another interesting turn, as the retired pitcher-turned-outfielder has been hired by the Nationals as a “life skills coordinator” as part of their minor-league coaching staff.

Mets Fan Campaigns Against Team Owner Fred Wilpon  —  Plan Is to Rent Billboards Near Citi Field, Imploring Team's Owners to Sell Franchise  —  About two months ago, a group of disgruntled Jets fans placed several billboards near MetLife Stadium that called for the firing of general manager John Idzik.

Angels, Braves Swap Minor Leaguers  —  5:57pm: The Braves announced that they have traded Kubitza and right-hander Nate Hyatt to the Angels in exchange for left-hander Ricardo Sanchez.  —  4:49pm: The Angels are close to acquiring third base prospect Kyle Kubitza from the Braves, reports MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez (Twitter links).

Could Hamels, Price or Scherzer be answer to Cards' rotation needs?  —  FOX Sports  —  The St. Louis Cardinals say they like their starting rotation.  But that is not preventing them from pursuing a major upgrade.  —  The team is exploring trades for left-handers Cole Hamels and David Price …

Slugger looking forward to working with LaRoche  —  Jose Abreu discusses winning the 2014 AL Rookie of the Year Award and making adjustments in his first season in the Majors  —  CHICAGO — Jose Abreu readily admits that Rick Hahn's aggressive offseason personnel maneuvers have directly influenced …

Pedro Martinez implies that Jorge Posada ignited infamous 2003 Red Sox - Yankees brawl by insulting his mother  —  ‘He let it go a little bit too far with the (Don) Zimmer incident,’ Martinez said of Posada on Daily News Live.  'Between Latinos you don't mention anybody's mother.'